Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Gaza Humanitarian Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
UN warns Gaza aid remains a trickle after weeks of restrictions; dozens displaced and health facilities hit
Summary
A United Nations spokesperson said limited aid is entering Gaza after weeks of restrictions, with partners reporting a steep drop in daily meals distributed, repeated displacement orders and attacks on health facilities that killed at least four people at Al‑Hali hospital.
The United Nations Spokesperson said humanitarian access to Gaza remains severely restricted after weeks of blockades, with only a small amount of supplies entering through the Kerem Shalom crossing and partners reporting a sharp fall in food distribution.
The spokesperson warned that “after 80 full days of blockade on the entry of aid and any other supplies, people in Gaza are starving,” and said the UN had sent “just over 20 truckloads of supplies” — mostly food and some health supplies — to the Israeli side of Kerem Shalom.
The situation has forced aid organizations to scale back operations. UN partners told the briefing that 14 organizations delivered just over a quarter of a million meals this week — far below the roughly 1 million daily meals being distributed in April — and that half of community kitchens in Gaza have stopped cooking because of lack of supplies or displacement orders.
The spokesperson said partners report more than 90% of families in Gaza lack the cash needed to buy remaining food in markets, and that eggs, meat, dairy, vegetables and fruit have largely disappeared from stalls.
UN officials also described repeated displacement orders. The spokesman said that since renewed hostilities in March, Israeli forces issued 35 displacement orders, forcing more than 640,000 people to flee. The order covering one area represents roughly one‑third of the Gaza Strip, the spokesperson said.
Health facilities remain under threat. The briefing said the deputy humanitarian coordinator, Susanna Tkalitz, visited Al‑Hali hospital only hours after an attack; hospital management reported four people killed, including three journalists. The spokesperson said assessments show attacks continue to affect hospitals and other civilian infrastructure.
The UN reiterated calls for all crossings to be opened without impediment and for unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations to deliver aid at scale to all areas in need.
The briefing noted that some coordination attempts for humanitarian movements had been denied: of 16 coordination requests reported this week, five were rejected, six were not accomplished because of impediments or cancellation for security or logistical reasons, and five were facilitated and carried out. The spokesperson stressed that none of the completed movements involved delivery of the supplies that are most urgently needed.
Ending: UN staff at the briefing said the organization and its partners will continue to press for expanded access and to provide where possible emergency food, health and shelter support, while warning that needs on the ground are rapidly exceeding available supplies.
